Aspects Of Social Support Research Articles

Psychic coping behaviour and the role of social support.

After defining the social support concept this article discusses some studies of its significance in relation to psychic functioning. Correct conception and operationlisation of social support is urged. Only then can some aspects of social support be studied in the clinical and the epidemiological perspective.

Social Support and Social Networks, and Coronary Heart Disease and Rehabilitation

This paper examines the nature of social support and social network variables and their relation to coronary heart disease (CHD). In the first section, the dimensions along which social support varies (emotional /material, manifest/potential, perceived/objective, quantity/quality) are discussed. Several social network characteristics that have been found to be associated with health are also examined. Next, the evidence for a relationship between social support and social networks and CUD is reviewed. Those aspects of social support and social networks that appear most likely to be involved in the prevention of CUD and rehabilitation from heart attacks are defined and evaluated. The most promising variables are found to be the number and intimacy of social ties; satisfaction with social activities, work, and financial status; perceived opportunity for discussing problems; and level of social interaction. Further research on those variables mid their relationship to CHD is recommended.

Objective determinants of perceived social support.

Objective characteristics of people's social networks were examined as determinants of the perceived availability of social support in two populations: elderly adults (n = 50) and mothers of 1-year-olds (n = 71). Number of network members and frequency of contact with network members, computed separately for kin and nonkin were examined as predictors of loneliness, overall social support, and the six components of social support proposed by Weiss (1974). Kin were found to be more effective providers than nonkin of some aspects of social support. Network characteristics were better predictors of perceived social support for the elderly than for the mothers, but a maximum of 30% of the variance in perceived social support was attributable to the objective network characteristics in either sample. It is recommended that future research on the determinants of perceived social support consider actual interpersonal behaviors, their contexts, and personality characteristics that affect the facilitation an interpretation of supportive behaviors.

Influences on the Life Satisfaction of Never-Married Men and Women

Social-psychological factors influencing the life-satisfaction of never-married men and women were examined Predictor variables included self-esteem, aspects of social support, and social and emotional loneliness. Regression analyses revealed that emotional loneliness and availability of attachment relationships were influential for the life satisfaction of women. The model for predicting men's life satisfac-

Source and Nature of Social Support given to Women at Divorce/Separation

Thirty divorced or permanently separated women rated 12 different sources of social support (including family and friends as well as professional and religious bodies) for their importance in providing 17 different types of help or support during the first six months of the separation/divorce. Friends proved to be the single overall important source of support, but the differential importance of social support as a function of type of help given, points to the multidimensional aspect of social support.

Social Support and Physical Recovery in a Stroke Population

Previous studies of the relationship between social support and physical health status have indicated that social support has a positive effect on morbidity, mortality, and recovery from chronic disease. However, the previous studies have differed in their definitions of the construct, with most studies measuring only one aspect of social support - usually emotional support. This longitudinal study of 393 stroke cases found that different types of social support (i.e., informational, affective, and instrumental) had differential effects on physical recovery (i.e., physical functioning) from stroke, with instrumental assistance having a significantly negative effect. Furthermore, selected characteristics of the patients' social networks had no direct effects on physical recovery. Alternative explanations for the findings - including issues of the direction of causality - are reviewed and discussed.

Toward a multi-method approach to assessing the effects of social support.

Two studies were done to assess the direct and stress-buffering effects of social support on psychological symptoms of college students. Three conceptually distinct measures were used to assess different aspects of social support: receipt of supportive transactions, satisfaction with support received, and social support network characteristics. The results indicated a significant direct and stress-buffering effect for support satisfaction in reducing psychological symptomatology. Two measures of support network size were used: number of people who were both a source of supportive and of upsetting interactions (conflicted support network), and number of people who were only mentioned as a source of support (unconflicted support network). Conflicted network size was positively related to symptomatology and increased the relationship between stress and symptomatology. No direct or interaction effects were obtained for unconflicted network size in predicting symptomatology.

The measurement of social support: The social support network inventory

HE PLURALISTIC OR BIOPYSCHOSOCIAL model of illness acknowledges that social factors play a role in the development of physical and emotional illness. Or, in Cassel’s language, that there is a “contribution of the social environment to host resistance.“’ Research continues to explore those social variables which directly or indirectly contribute to pathophysiologic processes, vulnerability to illness, symptom formation, and treatment response. One major area of research concerns the influence of stress and life events beginning with early writings of Cannon2 and Adolf Meyer.-’ Since the development of quantitative instruments for measuring life events, pioneered by Holmes and Rahe,4 there has been a flurry of studies examining the relationship between this variable and a variety of dependent symptom variables. Unfortunately, life events have rarely accounted for more than 15% and frequently less than 10% of the variance in any psychiatric outcome measures. Cognizant of the limits of a parsimonious theory linking stressful life events to illness, Caplan5 and others have suggested that social supports or social networks may be an intermediary variable serving to buffer the potentially negative effects of stress. Subsequently, a variety of investigators have shown an inverse association between specific aspects of social support and the development of depression in the general population6 and in recent widows;’ an inverse relationship between social support and symptom severity has also been shown in unipolar populations. R.9 Components of social support have also been examined in relationship to schizophrenia,‘O anxiety,” and psychosomatic disorders.r2 In most of these studies, social support has emerged as a better predictor of outcome than life events, causing speculation that there is a direct effect in addition to that of buffering stress. Although the use of specific questions on aspects of social support (eg, number of friends, relatives in the immediate geographic area, presence of a close contidante) are useful, it became clear by the mid-70’s that quantitative instruments were needed to reliably assess social support in research investigations and clinicians. This report presents the rationale, design, and psychometric testing of one instrument-the Social Support Network Inventory (SSNI)--which the authors began developing in 1979. It should be noted that other investigators such as Pattison” began developing similar instruments at that time; an excellent review of the methodology of these instruments has been provided by Lin.13

Social support: Its structure and impact on marital disruption

Availability of social support has been hypothesized to play a role in influencing adjustment to marital disruption either directly or by moderating the debilitating effects of stress. Yet previous research has not adequately conceptualized or measured the nature and availability of social support. In an effort to learn more about the structure and impact of social support as it relates to marital disruption, 50 newly separated men and women were interviewed at 2 months and again at 8 months after their separations. The structure of social support was found to include (a) several important sources of support, including family, friends, and the larger community; (b) an index of social activity; and (c) a sense of satisfaction with present marital status. Although the stress associated with separation was positively related to poorer adjustment, certain aspects of social support were found to moderate this relationship.

Religion and Family Life: How Social Scientists View the Relationship

It has long been argued that important relationships exist in American society between religious institutions, the values they teach, and family life. This essay examines the ways in which contemporary scientists depict these relationships. The data consist of a content analysis of writings in sociology of the family texts, sociology of religion texts, and journals in the latter field. Studies of the social control functions of religion far outnumber those focusing on more qualitative social support aspects. Several interpretations and consequences of these trends are discussed.

The utility of natural help relationships

Abstract This article explores research pertinent to network analysis and substantiates its use as a necessary method of medical sociology. The concept of social support reflects a type of influence or resource derived from network relationships. Other aspects of social support are seen as critical to the functioning and adaptation of the individual especially in times of crisis when supportive relationships can mediate the effects of stress. A theory of mutual aid investment is proposed based on sociomatrix analysis. We also examine the relationship between the availability and nature of particular social support networks and willingness and capability of the individual to make use of them. This approach bears on the now unsatisfactory connection between studies of ordinary human relationships in the community and the literature studying relationships involving health care specialists. The function of mutual aid amongst neighbors varies by type of crisis, age, structure of the mutual aid chain, and as a product of neighborhood characteristics.